I have, however, watched the trailer a couple of times, read interviews with the director (author) and cast, seen the images and heard all the gossips and excited talk which surround this must awaited for release.
I first read about charlie and his peculiar ways in 2009 when my girlfriend gave it to me for Christmas, two months after we started going out. She gave it to me and I instantly did the unthinkable and judged it by its cover. I lime green, battered cover which was worn having been handed from reader to reader, a faint stain made by a cup or glass graced the first page and I was captivated instantly. I love my books to be in good condition but I also love to have a book that looks like it has lived the experiences that it is going to introduce you to and 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' did just that. I read the first page which was dedicated to me, with love and hope that this book would change my life as it had changed my girlfriends.
I began to read it that same day and I read all night and into the early hours of the morning finishing the book and thinking 'WOW'. I instantly clicked with the character of Charlie, the experiences that he lived, the type of people he was surrounded by, the unrequited love, and all the problems that are associated with being a misfit trying to deal with the horrors of teenage life.
I read the book twice more as I flew home from Mexico on New Years eve and found something new each time. When I returned home I slept with the book under my pillow, brought it with me everywhere I went, and read it 4 more times as I wandered through the university campus feeling a little bit lost.
Charlie, Sam and Patrick accompanied everywhere I went. I spent a lot of time thinking about how our teenage years affect us and how they have the potential to shape us into the adults we are.
Now, as the movie is set to be released I wonder if this epic novel of our times will become nothing more than a movie to replace Juno as the top alternative film of recent years. If Charlie will become the new Edward Cullen as the teenage heart throb and if Sam will now become more than just that sensitive girl who guided Charlie through so many experiences.
From what I have seen of the trailers Charlie is not the awkward soul I imagined him to me and Patrick is way too openly gay. This novel was an epic tale for all the 'Patricks' in the world, the gay boys dating the most popular jocks and hiding themselves so cleverly and suffering every stop of the way.
Perhaps I am being far too judgmental, considering the fact that I have not yet seen the movie, but this book is a treasure I hold close to my heart and I worry for its safety and well-being as it is released to the general public to be turned into 'just another teen movie'
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